In the year that King Uzziah died: For further details about Uzziah’s reign as king of Judah, see 2 Kgs 15.1-7 and 2 Chr 26. See also the comments on 1.1. At the end of his reign he suffered from a skin disease (traditionally translated “leprosy”). Uzziah died some time between 739 and 736 B.C., the exact date being unknown (see the introductory comments on this section [6.1-13]).
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne: The pronoun I refers to the prophet Isaiah himself. He is relating his own experience. Some languages may need to say “I Isaiah” for clarity. Isaiah begins his call narrative by describing what he saw. Lord renders the general Hebrew word meaning “master.” It is not the divine name Yahweh. The Lord is literally “my master,” so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates it well with “my Lord” (see the comments on 1.2). Although the word “vision” is not used (see 1.1), it is evident that the verb “to see” found here and in verse 5 implies more than natural viewing. For I saw the Lord, Bible en français courant has “In a vision, I saw the Lord,” and Contemporary English Version says “I had a vision of the LORD.” However, most translations render the Hebrew literally and use I saw without further explanation, leaving it to the context to imply that this is a special case of “seeing.”
Even though this is a vision, what the prophet saw and heard are images and words drawn from everyday experience. He uses participles to describe what he saw, both in this verse and the next one. First he describes the Lord as sitting. Good News Translation has two sentences to underline that the most important part of Isaiah’s vision was seeing the Lord, not seeing him sitting: “… I saw the Lord. He was sitting….” The idea that Yahweh sits on a throne comes from the notion of God as a king, which is a frequent idea in the Old Testament. It is stated explicitly in verse 5. A throne is a special seat on which a king sits for formal occasions. It is normally elevated and specially decorated. Some translators may have difficulty with the word throne and what it implies, if kings and thrones are not part of their culture or social arrangements. They should aim for language that evokes the splendor of the heavenly court that Isaiah saw. Although the word “king” does not occur until verse 5, throne may be rendered “king’s chair” or “special seat [for the leader].”
High and lifted up can refer to both the Lord and the throne on which he sat. This phrase expresses the separateness or distance between God and the prophet. This separateness makes the prophet acutely aware of how sinful he and his people are (verse 5). Rather than use two similar terms for high and lifted up, it is possible to express the same thought by saying “[raised] very high” (Bible en français courant). Translators need to avoid the impression that the chair itself was very tall; rather, it was high above the prophet who was presumably standing on the floor of the Temple.
And his train filled the temple: The Hebrew word translated train is a rare word. It is related to the notion of something that hangs down. It can refer to the hem of a garment. Other English versions simply say his train, but New International Version has “the train of his robe.” Others avoid the archaic word train for the hem of a garment, for example, Revised English Bible “the skirt of his robe,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “the skirts of His robe,” and Good News Translation “his robe.” This description of Yahweh’s outer clothing uses language relating to a king’s cloak to describe God’s awesome presence. Translators may say “the edges/borders/folds of his robe.”
The Hebrew participle rendered filled is a key verb in this vision. It occurs again in verses 3 and 4. Here the prophet uses the verb to describe the LORD’s robe as it extends from his elevated throne. This is a vision rather than reality, and the prophet is struggling to communicate what he saw. Most languages will have a verb meaning “fill” or “be full.” If this verb can only be used in a literal sense, then a simile may be used in this clause; for example, “His robe seemed to fill the Temple” or “His robe looked like it filled the Temple.” The robe did not literally fill the Temple, but extended from the base of the throne.
The temple provides us with the setting of the vision: it is in the Temple of Jerusalem. Why Isaiah was in the Temple is not important for the translation, though we can presume it was an occasion for worship.
Suggested translations for this verse are:
• In the year that King Uzziah died I had a vision of the Lord. He was sitting on a king’s chair that was high in the air. His robe seemed to fill the Temple.
• I had a vision of my Lord during the year that King Uzziah died. He was seated on a throne that was high up. His [king’s] cloak flowed down throughout the Temple.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .